An exhibition called “Revelation” from the budding artist Xavier Curtis

Art lover Xavier Curtis is a young painter of 21 years who chose the Bluezone of Kaloum for his exhibition ‘Revelation’. In this interview, he reveals his only means of expression :art .

How did your passion for painting start?

I say it’s in the family; there are many artists in my family. But I’m the only one who had the courage to make a career out of it , although my choice was not welcomed by my parents at the begining . I began drawing from a young age and I was using everything I could to sketch.

What is your source of inspiration?

I am inspired by everything. From current events, history, geography, philosophy, sounds …

One of my goals is also to speak of history. This is the case of my work “The return of Panthalassa”. Panthalassan was a vast global ocean that surrounded the Pangaea , only continent in prehistoric times. So this painting speaks of global warming, which is a current topic. I try to pull the alarm bell to entice people to protect our environment. By adopting environmental actions, we contribute to the preservation of the latter.

And in my work, I have not had real influence because when I started, I did not know the great painters of which everyone speaks. But I like the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Basquiat, Van Gogh, Monet and Picasso.

Do you live off of your art?

I have been living from my art for three years now. I participated in national and international exhibitions. But I encounter trouble selling my paintings in Guinea because culturally, the population is not used to buy works of art, especially paintings. For now, 60 to 70% of my paintings are sold outside of Guinea.

What is your artistic point of view of the Bluezone if you had to paint it?

I would say the Bluezone represent the title of my exhibition which is “The Revelation”. And I have a painting of the same name that has doors, windows, figures … which brings you to make choices. It’s like the Bluezone , which is a very new space for people. So when they arrive at the Bluezone, they have before them a wide range of activities and opportunities and therefore they have a choice to make, according to their taste.